Amy Carrier is no longer president and CEO of Lynchburg, Va.-based Centra Health, which she has led since September 2021.
Richard Tugman — president and CEO of Piedmont Community Health Plan, a Centra subsidiary — will take Ms. Carrier's place on an interim basis, according to a March 28 news release shared with Becker's. Mr. Tugman previously served as Centra's interim CEO in 2021.
Centra's spokesperson and news release did not provide a specific reason for Ms. Carrier's exit. The health system's board chair, Tom Nygaard, MD, told ABC13, "We felt that it was time for the organization to move on. Take a bit of a different direction."
The news comes just two months after Centra filed a lawsuit against its own oncology provider, Lynchburg Hematology-Oncology Clinic, alleging the group's physicians incorrectly documented and coded their work, leading to higher payouts. Centra seeks more than $7.1 million in alleged overpayments.
Lynchburg Hematology-Oncology Clinic has since ended its agreement with Centra and returned to private practice, and Centra is opening its own hematology and oncology clinic April 1.
Ms. Carrier's exit is unrelated to the lawsuit and ensuing community backlash, Dr. Nygaard told the news station.
He also addressed frequent turnover at the organization; since 2011, Centra has had four CEOs.
"Our nurses and our doctors are not commodities. They're not someone you can just hire and fire. They are key to our organization," Dr. Nygaard said. "Those people are constant, our caregivers are constant, and the leadership is what we're changing at this time."